Barry Fudge

Head of Endurance and Sport Sciences

Integration of sport science for optimal training adaptation and

competition performance in track and field

Overview

1. SSM strategy

2. Integration of science within the endurance program

3. Questions

My Vision

Vision

Mission Statement

Key Values & Behaviours

Roles & Structure

Communication Strategy

Resoureces

Prioritisation & Performance

Solutions

Goals, Measures &

Responsibilities

SSM Vision aligned with BA objectives 2013-

2017

BA Strategic Objectives 2013-2017

• Based on the number and quality of athletes now within our WCP pipeline,

and given the resources to fully implement our vision, we believe that our

team can win 8 to 10 medals in Rio 2016 and 8 to 10 medals at the

London World Championship in 2017.

• As milestones towards these targets we would expect to win 6 to 8 medals at

the 2013 Moscow World Championships, 12 to 17 medals at the European

Championships (although the proximity of this event to the Commonwealth

Games makes prediction less easy) and 7 to 9 medals at the 2015 Beijing

World Championships.

• At every stage in the plan our underlying philosophy remains that the key to

success in athletics is great athletes working with world class coaches in

great facilities with quality integrated support services. Over the London

cycle we have learnt that world class coaches and quality service providers

are role models in their professionalism, hunger to learn and their objective,

no compromise approach to improving athletes’ performance. In the new

cycle we aim to implement each aspect of this philosophy through consistent

clear leadership and increasingly focused delivery to athletes.

SSM Vision

• To be recognised as the best track & field science and medicine team

in the world, supporting athletes capable of winning medals at major

championships.

SSM Mission Statement

To understand and optimise training and performance of track & field athletes by:

• Respecting and understanding different training philosophies

• Developing trusting, accountable and supportive working relationships with athletes and coaches

• Identifying and prioritising athletes through specific event profiling intelligence to inform support processes

• Delivering flexible, bespoke and innovative science and medicine solutions to performance questions

• Delivering novel and creative science and medicine initiatives to manage injury and illness risk

• Working together as a team, in the relentless pursuit of excellence

• Focussing on medals whilst driving down costs

• Providing quality assured science and medicine practices

SSM Key Values & Behaviours

• Athlete owned: understand and agree the individualised rules of

engagement within each athlete & coaching partnership

• Understand, recognise and be comfortable with your own role and

responsibility within the team

• Discuss; decide; support

• Strive for excellence

• Collaboration

• Open-minded

• Consistency through familiarity and stability

SSM Prioritisation & Performance Solutions

Applied support broadly fits in to the following categories:

•Profiling is key to monitoring progression and to mapping an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses relative to their event demands.

•Screening on a regular basis provides information on factors that may affect performance and/or health and wellbeing of an athlete.

•Training specific support is a fundamental element of the support process and aims to ensure athletes are adapting optimally to their training load relative to their event demands.

SSM Prioritisation & Performance Solutions

•Competition specific support aims to help athletes attain peak performance when it matters most.

•Coach education support provides appropriate information delivered in a relevant manner for coaches and athletes on a range of topics, usually in collaboration with other service providers.

Too many things….

Science Team

– Physiology: Kate Spilsbury & Gareth Turner

– Psychology: Simon Drane, Mike Stoker & Jen Savage (Steve

Peters)

– Nutrition: Joe Agu & Kevin Currell

– S&C science: Michael Johnston & Mphil student

– Biomechanics: Paul Brice, Ross Tugwood & sports science

technician

– Performance Lifestyle: Julie Smith

You need to have a very good

understanding…and you need to lead/manage

or…

You’ll wake up one day and a physio/S&C

coach/physiologist/etc. will be running your

program.

Endurance Initiative – Working in partnership

Creating Winning Environments

Endurance Initiative – Creating Winning Environments

Endurance Initiative 2014-17

Altitude exposure

Science support

Medicine support

Coach support/education

Identified

athletes capable

of:

-Medals

-Finals

-Representing

GB

At the Global

and European

level

-Junior to senior

-Bespoke

-Flexible

-Aligned to

objective

targets

-Accountable

-Supported by

leading experts

-Long term

investment in

athletes

Communication

VLM strategy and Targets

• Based on calculations of what it will take to win medals in endurance

events across various objective indicators of the pathway and how

specific event groups are performing now, the overarching targets are

to:

– Identify and support 4 of the top 8 athletes in each event (based on

selection criteria);

– With 75% of identified athletes progressing year on year towards an

identified performance goal (agreed in advance).

• Identified athlete/coach pairs will undergo a review and planning

process and be supported appropriately (e.g. science, medicine,

coach education, training camps) based on their current level and

potential future running ability.

Strategy

•

Endurance Initiative – People

Advisor/Mentor

Head of

Endurance

Event Lead Special Advisor Expert Technical

Advisor

Accelerated

Coach

Development

Athlete Based

Support

Associated

Coaches

NCDP+ Coaches NCDP Coaches Logistics Support Admin Support

Barry Fudge Martin Rush Paula Radcliffe Alberto Salazar Jon Bigg Craig Winrow WCPP coaches James Brewer Lisa Richardson

Mike Johnston Steve Cram Others Rob Denmark Bud Baldaro Futures coaches

Darrell Maynard Others Others Personal coaches

Support and

guide WCPP

athletes and

their coaches

Support home

nations

identified

coaches/athletes

Mentor and

advise identified

coaches/athletes

Coach athletes

to a high level

Coach WCPP &

pathway athletes

Coach WCPP &

pathway athletes

to finalist level

at global champs

Coach WCPP &

pathway athletes

Coach Coach To lead and

manage the

organisation of

identified

training camps

Support Head of

Endurance

Lead the

accelerated

coach

development

program

Lead home

nations coach

education

programes

Provide program

support - teams,

training camps

Provide expert

advice and

opportunities for

the accelerated

coach

development

program

To quickly

advance their

knowledge to a

high level and

apply it to the

their coaching

practice

Provide program

support - teams,

training camps,

selections

To advance their

knowledge and

apply it to the

their coaching

practice

To advance their

knowledge and

apply it to the

their coaching

practice

To manage the

endurance house

Lead BA program

strategy - BA

budgets, lead BA

endurance

meetings

Lead home

nations program

strategy - home

nations budgets,

lead home

nations

endurance

meetings

Provide expert

advice to the

Head of

Endurance

To drive the

ethos of British

coaches working

together (co-

ordination of

formal/informal

education,

training days)

Provide program

support - teams,

training camps,

selections

Provide program

support - teams,

selections

Program support -

teams, training

camps,

selections

Focus areas

Who

Logistics & Admin Support

British Athletics - Endurance Initiative

Title / Role /

Purpose

10-15 identified

coaches

40-50 identified

coaches

Leadership Coaching

Institute Coach Physiotherapist Physiologist

Kenya: November 2014

• Out: 29 October/12 November;

• Return: 26 November/10 December;

• 12-15 athletes over the whole camp

(majority out on 29 October back on the

26 November);

• For development and WCPP athletes;

• Research focus pre/post/on the camp.

Project Pinnacle

Optimise Training | Maximise Performance

• Innovative research partnership between the EIS & British Athletics • Performance focused research: 2014-15, 3 research projects • Immediate, meaningful data • Support evidence based decision making • Optimise preparations for Rio and beyond

Optimising Tapering Altitude Training

Running Economy

1: Running Economy: Optimising training strategies

Identify whether both tempo running on flat and downhill can enhance running economy in well trained distance runners

Inform structure of training

programmes Optimise training to maximise

competition performance .

2: Optimising altitude and hypoxic training

Identify if there is an optimal time to compete after altitude exposure

Validate pre-screening tool to predict athlete response to altitude

Objective data to coaches to use when deciding on intensity of training at start of camp.

3: Tapering: Maximising Race Day Performance Identify if training intensity in final

days of taper, after large volume reduction, has ‘priming’ effect on performance

Assess 1500m performance after two 7-day tapers: one currently used and new lower volume/high intensity

Inform current practice to optimise race-day performance

Research provides low-risk environment to taper and identify optimal individual strategies

Creating Winning Environments – Own the start line

Questions and thanks for inviting me

For further information please contact:

British Athletics, Athletics House, Alexander Stadium, Walsall Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 2BE

www.britishathletics.org.uk